Early on, I thought that if I created a meaningful, accessible arts event and promoted it, people would come. Sometimes, they didn’t. I learned that community engagement has to begin long before an event does. Now I work to build relationships with community partners, collaborate with people who are already connected to the audiences I hope to reach, and listen to what those communities actually want and need. I’m still learning, but I’ve come to understand that doing good in a community starts with being part of that community.